<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>It just keeps piling on by hkandi</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044848">It just keeps piling on</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi'>hkandi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheer up!, Established Relationship, F/M, Naruto Rare Pair Week 2020, Rare Pairings, They're college students!, Tomorrow is a new day, bad things happen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:34:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Because everyone has those days where nothing seems to go right...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rookie Nine &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto/Yamanaka Ino</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>It just keeps piling on</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for Naruto rare pair week, day 4 prompt "bad things happen"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(I don't own any characters etc etc)</p>
<p>It was one of those days, Naruto and Ino knew at the start.</p>
<p>Naruto had flung a hand out to hit snooze on their alarm clock, but ended up accidentally turning it off.</p>
<p>When they woke up, they had about ten minutes until they had to leave, if they were to still be on time.</p>
<p>"Naruto!" Ino shrieked. "Get up, get up, get up! We're running late! How did this happen?" </p>
<p>She flung off their blankets and tumbled over him to get out of bed.</p>
<p>"Ow!" he cried, taking an elbow to his side. "What's the rush?"</p>
<p>"I'm taking a shower first!" she said, ignoring him. "How am I going to get my hair and makeup done in time? This is a disaster!"</p>
<p>Naruto saw he didn't have much time, but he never really cared about how he looked for classes. A hoodie and jeans, he'd be okay.</p>
<p>Still, he was saddened that he wouldn't have time to savor his breakfast. Or that Ino was unhappy.</p>
<p>Another shriek from their bathroom told him Ino was very, very unhappy.</p>
<p>Running over in his boxers, he flung open the door.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" he asked, fearing the worst.</p>
<p>"The hot water ran out!" Ino shrieked again. "I'm freezing!"</p>
<p>Naruto sighed but grabbed their fluffiest towel and passed it to her</p>
<p>He went back to their bedroom and pulling out his favorite orange hoodie and black jeans, knowing he certainly wasn't taking a shower now.</p>
<p>He took minute to center himself, and took a deep breath.</p>
<p>"This doesn't mean it will be a bad day," he said, not wanting to set negative events into motion over a bad start to the day. It would work, right?</p>
<p>His attempts at inner peace didn't last long, as he got to the kitchen and remembered he had eaten the last of his instant ramen the day before, and had none for breakfast now.</p>
<p>"I look like a disaster," Ino wailed, moving past him. </p>
<p>"You look great," he said to her, smiling.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. "My hair is limp, and I didn't have time to do my full makeup," she frowned.</p>
<p>"Your hair looks great," he said, not seeing a difference. "And I like this look, you don't always have to be dolled up to the max. And definitely not for a day of classes."</p>
<p>He looked back at the kitchen and sighed. "No breakfast for me, if we're lucky I can grab a coffee on campus before class."</p>
<p>Their not so great luck continued as there was a slight traffic jam and a detour, and they barely made it to campus with ten minutes to go.</p>
<p>Exchanging a quick kiss, they parted ways to race to opposite sides of campus for their classes.</p>
<p>_______</p>
<p>Ino plopped down in a seat in the lecture hall, and checked her phone. One minute to go, whew!</p>
<p>Sakura looked at her and frowned. "What happened to you?"</p>
<p>Ino rolled her eyes. "Today already sucks, and it's only 9am..." She slunk down in her seat and pulled out her books as class started.</p>
<p>"We woke up late, and I had no hot water," Ino whispered to Sakura, who pretended to wrinkle her nose and move away.</p>
<p>Ino stuck out her tongue. "I showered, it was just freezing! And put on deodorant, so shut up!"</p>
<p>"Well, good thing I got this on the way over then," Sakura said, picking up two coffee to-go cups from the floor next to her.</p>
<p>"You're a lifesaver!" Ino said, gratefully accepting one.</p>
<p>She was thinking that maybe today could be decent, as she took a sip of coffee.</p>
<p>And seriously burned her tongue.</p>
<p>She clamped her mouth down and squeezed her eyes tight so as to not shout in pain during the lecture.</p>
<p>Next to her, Sakura winced. "Too hot?" she asked, and Ino nodded.</p>
<p>"Sorry!" Sakura whispered. "I didn't check it first!"</p>
<p>Ino finally opened her mouth and sighed. "It's fine, just add it to my already crappy morning."</p>
<p>________________</p>
<p>Things didn't get any easier from then on.</p>
<p>Whereas Ino's coffee was too hot, at least she had coffee. Naruto's favorite coffee place on campus, and the one closest to his first two classes, was closed due to a pipe bursting overnight.</p>
<p>He didn't have cash for the vending machine, nor did his friends, and so he had to wait until lunchtime for any type of sustenance.</p>
<p>Lee tried to cheer him up by going on and on about the virtues and benefits of fasting, but Naruto tried to tune him out.</p>
<p>Pulling out his phone as he headed to lunch with Kiba and Sasuke, he saw his phone had less than fifty percent battery. He really needed to start charging it overnight, he thought to himself, especially once he realized he didn't have his charger. And of course his friends didn't have the same type of phone, so he couldn't use theirs.</p>
<p>He sent off a quick text to Ino, as he hadn't heard from her yet, but this was not uncommon as their classes kept them busy.</p>
<p>"Rough morning! Hoping phone survives til the end!" he wrote.</p>
<p>"Same! Minus the phone, I told you to charge it XD" Ino wrote back, and he finally smiled.</p>
<p>His spirit were lifted by her text, until he entered the dining hall with his friends. Though he and Ino lived off campus, they still signed up for minimal meal plans as it was cheaper to use it for on campus lunch and coffee, especially when they didn't always know if they'd have time for the extra shopping, cooking, and packing. Actually, it wasn't uncommon for them to eat dinner or at least a late lunch/early dinner on campus, so the meal plan served them well.</p>
<p>At least, usually. Naruto's dining card would not be read by the scanner. </p>
<p>"Come on," he grumbled at it. "You were working yesterday!"</p>
<p>The freshman manning the front desk shrugged. "It's been a bit skippy today?"</p>
<p>"It seemed to work just fine for everyone else," Naruto muttered. He sighed and looked at his friends. "I'll see you after, I don't have cash on me."</p>
<p>Sasuke shook his head. "Dobe," he said, pulling out his dining card and paying for Naruto. "Come on."</p>
<p>"Aww thanks!" Naruto said, slinging an arm around Sasuke, who tried to fight him off.</p>
<p>And, well, if none of Naruto's favorite dishes were either being served or were available while he was there, well, he figured it was just another part of how today was turning out.</p>
<p>________</p>
<p>Ino faired only slightly better at lunch. She usually went to a smaller dining area with her friends, and while they had the food she wanted, it just wasn't very tasty that day.</p>
<p>She sat picking at her sandwich while Sakura and her boyfriend, Lee, talked about a weekend getaway they were planning.</p>
<p>"What about you and Naruto?" their friend Tenten said, joining them.</p>
<p>Ino shrugged. "I don't know, we're both pretty busy with school these days. We might do a staycation if we're lucky, just get junk food and be bums."</p>
<p>"Naruto will need that!" Lee shouted, and the girls looked at him. "He was unable to eat anything until lunch today, and did not seem interested when I shared what Gai-sensei says are the benefits of fasting for one's body!"</p>
<p>Sakura patted him on the shoulder. "Not everyone wants to go hungry, Lee, and definitely not Naruto!"</p>
<p>Ino laughed for the first time that day. "True. He did say he had a rough morning, but he didn't elaborate. Hopefully we get through the afternoon, maybe I can cheer him up after."</p>
<p>Tenten raised her eyebrows and Ino threw a fry at her.</p>
<p>"Not like that!" Ino laughed. "I'll take him out to eat or something."</p>
<p>"You guys could go to the new frozen yogurt place we all went to," Tenten said. "What was it, like a week or two ago?"</p>
<p>Ino thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, of course! Deidara works there, how could I forget? I'll text Naruto now."</p>
<p>She pulled out her phone.</p>
<p>"Got a surprise for you later! If your phone dies, meet at the usual place after class," she wrote.</p>
<p>She got a response as she was walking into her next class.</p>
<p>"You're the best! If I survive this day it'll be amazing :X"</p>
<p>______________</p>
<p>They barely survived the day.</p>
<p>Naruto had a pop quiz in one class that he was only semi-prepared for.</p>
<p>"Ugh, I forgot Professor Hatake loves using the information in the footnotes," he groaned as he left.</p>
<p>Neji sighed. "I know, it's like he enjoys terrorizing us."</p>
<p>"Only a little!" their teacher said, passing them in the halls. "It's a lot of fun!"</p>
<p>Naruto rolled his eyes. "One more class, then I'm free!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, but it's a two hour class," Neji said, as they both had it. He checked his phone. "At least Hinata said she saved us good seats."</p>
<p>"Good seats" meant near the back, which was usually ideal, but today the teacher decided to stand near there to deliver her powerpoint presentation. Not that Hinata, Neji, or Naruto ever really goofed off, but who wanted someone talking practically right in their ear for two hours?</p>
<p>Needless to say, the three had headaches by the end.</p>
<p>_________</p>
<p>Ino only fared slightly better. She realized she had left an assignment at home and had raced to a computer lab to print it out, being able to access it from a shared account.</p>
<p>However, this only let her be on time rather than early to class, and she ended up sitting in the worst seat possible - up front, center seat.</p>
<p>Even a studious person like her didn't want to sit there, as it was the chair the teacher always called on for answers. Always.</p>
<p>Shikamaru laughed at her as they met up after class, teasing her for her special seat.</p>
<p>She punched his shoulder. "You were supposed to save me a seat, some friend you are!"</p>
<p>He shrugged and yawned. "I thought about it. It was too troublesome."</p>
<p>Ino huffed. "Whatever. My classes are done, this day has sucked, I'm out of here."</p>
<p>They walked together to the parking lot, griping about their last class and upcoming assignments.</p>
<p>Naruto waved from their meeting spot, and greeted them.</p>
<p>"Today has been terrible!" he said.</p>
<p>"It's always terrible," Shikamaru said. "Any day I have to leave the house and go somewhere is a terrible day."</p>
<p>Ino shook her head. "You mean any day you have to get out of bed." She looked at Naruto. "Let's get out of here?"</p>
<p>He nodded, and they said goodbye to Shikamaru, heading to their car.</p>
<p>"My phone did die," Naruto admitted. "Good thing we planned in advance."</p>
<p>"I'm a smart one," Ino grinned. She hopped in the drivers seat and they took off. "We should be there in ten minutes!"</p>
<p>Of course, the day kept going, and another detour and street closure stretched the drive into thirty.</p>
<p>By the time they parked, they were tired, and getting cranky, not that they wanted to admit it.</p>
<p>Naruto's face brightened when he recognized where they were going, and he kissed Ino on the cheek, making her smile.</p>
<p>They entered and she greeted Deidara, who was behind the counter, sketching something.</p>
<p>"Hey cuz," she called out, and he waved without looking up. She and Naruto moved to grab cups.</p>
<p>"This is going to be great!" Naruto said, as they started picking out yogurt flavors.</p>
<p>They moved to toppings, where their hearts sank.</p>
<p>"Dei!" she called out. "Where's all your toppings?"</p>
<p>Deidara finally looked up. "Oh," he said. "We had a field trip or something come in after school, or maybe it was a few sports teams." He shrugged. "Point is, they ate it all, and we're waiting on our delivery. I think it's caught in all that traffic. Guess you guys came on a bad day."</p>
<p>"That's an understatement," Naruto said. "I can't believe you only have some fruit for me to use, where's the candy, the brownie bites, the sugary goodness?" he cried.</p>
<p>Deidara looked at Ino with a raised eyebrow. "What's got into him?"</p>
<p>She frowned. "We've had a really rough day, and this was supposed to cheer us up." She stared morosely at her cup. "But it's just like everything else today..."</p>
<p>Deidara looked at her and frowned. </p>
<p>"Shouldn't you tell people when they come in you don't have toppings?" Naruto grumbled.</p>
<p>"Well, we have fruit and chocolate syrup, so most people consider that pretty okay," Deidara said. He held up what he had been working on, a decorated sign that did inform that they had limited toppings but full selection of yogurt.</p>
<p>He moved to tape it to the front door, then sat back down. "Tell you what," he said. "It's on the house. Load up with whatever you want."</p>
<p>Naruto and Ino smiled at him and did so, then wandered over to a table.</p>
<p>Ino sighed as soon as they were seated, and leaned into Naruto, who put an arm around her and hugged her.</p>
<p>"This day," she said, shaking her head and leaning into him more.</p>
<p>"I know," he agreed. "Bad things happen," he sighed. "Could have been worse, but still..."</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a moment before Deidara approached them, putting a small jar down on their table.</p>
<p>"Last of our cherries," he said. "All yours. Take home whatever you don't eat here."</p>
<p>He turned and went back to the counter as they thanked him.</p>
<p>Ino added cherries to their bowls and Naruto brought over the chocolate syrup.</p>
<p>She laughed, shaking her head. "I think it's supposed to stay at the counter, Naruto."</p>
<p>He shrugged. "We deserve it. Today calls for extra cherries and chocolate syrup."</p>
<p>She smiled. "And tonight calls for you charging your phone, and me moving the alarm to my side of the bed."</p>
<p>Naruto laughed. "Deal!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feedback and suggestions welcomed!</p>
<p>Let's connect, I'm on <a href="https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>